Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash

This Russian maths teacher has been sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of sexual assault against a minor for groping a teenage student’s bottom.

Maths teacher Valery Syropyatov, 49, was reportedly shocked to receive the sentence of nine-and-a-half years in a maximum-security prison after being found guilty of groping a teenage student on her bottom when she said she did not want to take an exam.

The incident took place on 27th March 2019 when Syropyatov says he took the student, who was in the 7th grade (usually 14-15 years old in Russia) out of class because she was complaining it was too loud to do her exam.

He says he took her into another classroom and the court heard how the victim later told a classmate in a text message: “He took me to another room, came from behind me and started touching me. I tried to interfere but he kept pushing my hands away.”

The teacher claimed: “She said it was too noisy in the class so we went to another one where I told her to do her work. She still did not want to do it and when I tried to pass, I accidentally slapped her on her lower waist with the back of my hand.”

Dmitry Shishkin, an assistant to the prosecutor of the Ordzhonikidze district of Perm, said: “The evidence presented by the prosecution was enough for the court to find the defendant guilty to a particularly serious crime against the sexual integrity of a minor, that’s why the sentence is so big.

“And the slap and that version that the defendant told everyone was a way of trying to protect himself.”

The sentence has not yet come into force and can be appealed to a higher court. It is unclear if Syropyatov plans to appeal and he remains in detention.